Mr. Speaker, we are debating the second of two amendments introduced a short while ago. Bill C-17 is an omnibus bill. An omnibus bill deals with a number of acts and makes small changes, adjustments and amendments in a whole range of areas. It is kind of a tidying up bill. I guess with an election coming there is a lot to tidy up in the area of the justice system and all the justice bills that have been brought in.
This second of the two amendments, fixes an oversight-to put it kindly and a large omission in the minds of some of us-in Bill C-45. That bill has been fairly well known among Canadians as the one which allowed Clifford Olson, who killed at least 11 innocent Canadian children after brutally and sadistically assaulting them, to apply to get out of jail early. It is very interesting that we would be debating an amendment to the act that allows him to do that or, more accurately, does not prevent him from doing that although it would prevent future multiple killers from applying for early release, but not Clifford Olson.
Today I was reading in a calendar of upcoming events that on Monday, April 7 in Vancouver the B.C. supreme court judge decided whether to lift a ban on Clifford Olson's judicial review preliminary hearing. These applications by convicted killers do not just take the form of one simple step. They cause some pretty hard working people to pay a lot of money in order for these things to happen.
On Wednesday, April 9 in Saskatoon, Clifford Olson will appear in court to appeal a federal ruling restricting his access to the media.
In one week we have two major judicial considerations on behalf of a convicted, sadistic, brutal child killer and in the House of Commons we finally have a justice minister who says: "Gee, I wonder whether the families and the parents of these victims should maybe have the right to speak out at his hearing to get out of jail early and actually tell the court how they think and feel about the violations to the rights, safety and security of their families".
We are very pleased that finally, after all the words that we put into Hansard and after all the words we have spoken in committee urging the justice minister to start shifting the balance from the side of killers and criminals on to the side of decent, upright, law-abiding innocent citizens, there is a little move in that direction.
The Reform Party some months ago introduced in the House a motion that there be a victims' bill of rights test. There are eight provisions which we believe should be in such a victims' bill of rights. It would provide specific legal rights within the justice system to victims. That is a novel thought. The victim might actually have some standing in our legal system.
One of the provisions we have suggested would be the right of victims to choose between giving oral and/or written victim impact statements at parole hearings, hearings before sentencing and at judicial reviews.
There are other legal rights which we think should be given to victims, to the innocent people in our society whose freedoms and liberties have been violated by law-breakers. We think they should be given the right at every stage of the process to be informed, including being made aware of available victim services.
There are plenty of services for criminals. In fact, as we have pointed out in the House time and again, many criminals in this country live in more comfortable, more spacious and more secure circumstances than many of our senior citizens who have worked a lifetime, paid their taxes, kept the law and been exemplary citizens.
We think the victims should have the right to be informed of the offender's status throughout the process, including but not restricted to plans to release the offender from custody.
We think that victims should also have the right to know why charges are not laid, if that is the decision of the crown or the police, the right to be protected from intimidation, harassment or interference.
We think that victims should have the right to have their part of the process heard, to stand before a judge and let him or her on behalf of society know how criminal activity has affected them. That should be automatic.
An amendment was introduced in this House this morning, April 8, 1997. Three and a half years after this government took office, mere days before this government goes back to the people and asks them to vote for it, it is saying maybe we should give victims in this country and their families the right to actually tell the courts to tell the judicial system how lawbreakers have affected them.
Here we have another situation of fixing a problem that was brought up before, a well known, much talked about problem. Just before an election suddenly there is a feeling that we had better throw this into the mix too so that the justice minister and his colleagues can say "boy, we are really standing up for law-abiding Canadians". Never mind that they have totally ignored, jeered and showered contempt on strong and sensible statements and urgings from other members of the House that they get with the program much sooner.
Whereas these are amendments that should have been made some time ago and we have to support them, we just have to say to the justice minister that the time to fix these problems is when they are first pointed out instead of scrambling to do something at as late a date as possible in order to look as if they care about the concerns of Canadians which have been well known and well talked about for months and months.
This amendment to Bill C-17 would allow victims and their families to let the courts know in these proceedings and in particular in proceedings where killers are applying to be let out of jail early. That is something that should be done. All Canadians support that. We urge the justice minister to get this right the first time, to start listening to what needs to be done, to protect Canadians and to make sure their rights are put first and foremost in this justice system.